Panama’s First Wind Farm

David Sexton – Union Eolica Panameña (UEP), the Panamanian subsidiary of Spain’s Unión Eólica, received a shipment from China of tower sections that will hold wind turbines at a US$440 million wind farm near the town of Penonome in the central province of Cocle, Panama’s first wind farm and the largest in Central America.

The company will build 88 windmills with the capacity to generate roughly 220 megawatts of power annually, which will cover nearly 10% of Panama’s energy demand and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Even though tens of millions of tons of oil products come through the Panama Canal, Panama has few of it’s own energy resources, leading the country toward alternative energy solutions. Currently, Panama relies on hydroelectric and geothermal power generation.

As we saw last month during the energy crisis, hydroelectric production is subject to weather conditions, putting the country at risk during droughts.

Pérez Pire, director of the Panama Wind Union, said that with this multi-million-dollar project, they “hope to contribute to sustainable development in Panama, lower the system’s electrical costs, improve energy self-sufficiency, and bring a new form of energy that will contribute positive effects for Panamanians.”